The Bohemian and The Bulbul: Journeys in the Middle East (and further east), by Mira Baz
Excerpt: Abbas Hamdani, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, writes that Da’i Hatim was a writer, a versatile poet and an organizer of the faith. The da’i modified and formalized the structure of the Ismaili da’wa (mission), in an evolution from its origins in Fatimid Egypt that wouldn’t change to the present day.
It is believed that Da’i Hatim himself built the mosque overlooking the village of Hutaib to worship in it and to honor al-Sayyida al-Hurra (The Noble Lady), otherwise known as Queen Arwa al-Sulayhiyya, who ruled Yemen for over five decades from 1084 to 1138.
For it was none other than Queen Arwa who would expand the Ismaili faith in Yemen and beyond, in a dynasty that would rule from Dhu Jibla, and whose borders would reach as far as Mecca in current-day Saudi Arabia.
More at http://www.mirabaz.com.
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